The Inexperienced Admiral
by DesDiv6
Summary: A new commander, forced into his position, finds himself in the middle of a fantastical war that he had never dreamed existed. How will he cope with his new surroundings? Will he survive? Most importantly, which Ship Girl will be most important to him? That will become obvious as you read the story. edit: I TOOK ABOUT 6 MONTHS TO RELEASE SOMETHING I FINISHED 5 MONTHS AGO.
1. Author's Notes

Author's Notes: I took quite a few liberties with this story. First is the base. I know that Miyake had a base in world war II. Does it now? I don't know. I used Miyake because it fit the standards that I was looking for in an island. Next, Hibiki is not one of the first selectable ships in Kancolle. That is another thing I am aware of, but frankly, while I love Inazuma (My first ship 3), and I also like Fubuki, Hibiki is my favorite, and I decided to have Raki meet her first. Certainly, the rest of DesDiv6, as well as many other kanmusu, will be making their appearances, but not just yet.

This is planned to be a full novel-length story, but we'll see how it goes. I honestly have not thought up the entire plot yet. I plan to use my own experiences in Kancolle to get the order of which ships come (such as Iku being evil and not dropping after so many world 1-5 missions (note of a note: you really should not be doing more than 5 a month, however, due to the massive admiral exp increase), or Yamato not constructing after 30 tries. I hate dem and luv dem so much. Shioi has joined that group, though, with 6 tries and no success. Maruyu luvs me tho)

*My Married Kanmusu (as of now) – Imuya / Verniy 3


	2. Chapter One - Hibiki

The Inexperienced Admiral

Chapter One – Hibiki

The calm summer breeze did nothing to deter the burning heat and humidity that threatened Miyake Island Naval Base. The day before it had been a breezy 17 degrees Celsius, the norm for the small island, but it was just the way newly appointed Commander Raki Tachibana's luck went that he arrived a day later. _Why don't you transfer to Miyake?_ That was what his superior, Admiral Yoshimoto, had said to him only a week earlier. The then-Lieutenant Tachibana, a member of the Intelligence division, had the gall to insinuate that one of the Vice-Admiral's had been participating in black market activity. When the supposed explicit proof did not show its head, Lieutenant Tachibana was nearly court martialed. However, as he was, for the most part, an upstanding officer, they decided simply to send him somewhere where he would not cause any issues any further. To Raki, this was simply an admission of the Vice-Admiral's guilt rather than a punishment, but it was definitely true that Miyake Base was about as far from anything interesting as one could be. For one who lived to gain information and facts, a sleepy post like this was little more than torture.

As he slowly made his way towards the gates, loosening his uniform and wiping the sweat from his brow, he noticed how… empty the place appeared to be. There weren't any military drills heard or seen, and he did not even see any patrols. Were things so lax here that they did not even follow basic navy protocol? He sighed. Not that such things bothered him as much as the overarching thought that he would be bored out of his mind if nothing happened here.

"Let's see… I was supposed to have an escort waiting for me…" he looked around. No escort. Or so he thought. Perhaps it was because she was so small and pale that he did not immediately notice her but a young girl stood there, bathed in sunlight. Her silvery hair had a tinge of blue to it, a strange color that seemed mystifying and unnatural. Perhaps the gods were playing tricks on him, but such a small thing was of no interest to him. He was no scientist, and did not know much about biology, so even though this girl's hair was interesting, that is all it was.

"You are the new Commander, right?" Those were the first words out of the girl's mouth. Even though it was blazing out, and Raki felt as though he would pass out at any moment after carrying his luggage so far in full uniform, the girl seemed as fine as if it were a breezy spring day. She bowed low to him, without the slightest trace of emotion. "My name is Hibiki. I will escort you to the Admiral's office."

No rank. That was the first thing that he noticed. Was the commander of the base notified of the reasons for his transfer? Perhaps he had been curious about why a Lieutenant would have been promoted up to a full commander so suddenly, or even more basic, why anyone would request to transfer to Miyake Base in the first place. This was most likely a subtle sign of the type of presence he would have here. Yoshimoto was truly thorough with everything wasn't he?

Still, as he was still a Commander, even if he didn't feel like it, he was stung by such a casual disregard of the basic rules of greeting in the military. "Say, ah, Miss Hibiki, do you have a rank? You are a member of this naval base, correct?"

She considered his words carefully. Had she been given orders only to give certain information to him? Was she not allowed to give him her rank even though he was a superior officer? "I suppose my rank is… Destroyer."

… Destroyer? Like the ship classification? Or like she was a part of an assault unit that he was unawares of?

"I am an Akatsuki-class Destroyer, to be precise." She said this completely deadpan, staring straight ahead.

"…" Well, that made things simpler. This was a joke. They were mocking him. While he was inwardly furious, he at least would meet with the Admiral to speak his mind before handing in his resignation.

The walk through the base was incredibly boring. Occasionally, Hibiki would say a short sentence like, "That is the training hall" or "That is the cafeteria" but she never elaborated. Seemingly after an eternity, brought about by their slow pace and the raging sun, they reached a broad twin set of iron inset oak doors, obviously their destination.

With a simple knock and a muffled reply, Hibiki opened the doors. The inside of the office was marvelously cool, so much so that he almost collapsed from the relief of it. Still, his discipline got the better of this desire, and he saluted as smartly as he could, wanting to give a show before his declare of resignation. Of course, he also wanted to draw out his time in this air-conditioned office as long as possible. Going back out into the heat was the last thing he wanted to do.

"Commander Raki Tachibana, reporting for duty, Admiral."

"Good, I'm glad you are here. I've heard a lot about you." Not showing anything, the Admiral, an elderly man just nodded back. His language was stilted as if he was having trouble communicating at all. So, this was probably the source of the problems at the base, Raki decided. That being said, it was a potential danger. Not that the Navy had anything to worry about. Even after the Japanese military was reinstated, they had only done so for precautionary reasons. There was no war to worry about, that Raki was aware of, at least. If something did happen, however, this base would be destroyed before you could say "Not fair." While Raki was thinking this, the Admiral had gotten up, walked towards the door and almost had opened the doors, before thinking to turn around and add, "That being said, I am now relieved of my duty. Hibiki, my dear, can you lay things out for him?"

Getting up slowly, the Admiral gave a weak salute and walked slowly out of the room. It was such a ridiculous event that Raki took a full ten seconds to realize he had to respond.

"WAIT!" He rushed and forced the doors open like in the movies. "What do you mean, you are relieved of your duty? What do you mean 'lay things out for him?'" He was in a panic. So many things had happened that he was unsure of what to even do.

"Why, did no one tell you? You are the Commander of this Miyake Naval Base now." After turning to answer him, in a gruff grandfather type of voice, he made his way to leave.

"… There is only so far a joke can go, sir."

"This is no joke, and you are delaying me from my departure. I have long wanted to retire, and Yoshimoto promoting you to here has given me the opportunity to do just that." With that, he was gone. Raki, who was dazed and confused, could not chase after him. There was simply too much unanswered, and the only person who could give him those answers was Admiral Yoshimoto.

Walking back into the room, he was greeted with the view of Hibiki starting to make tea. "Ah, Commander, welcome back."

"I'm back- NOT. I need to talk to Admiral Yoshimoto," He stalked right up to the desk and dialed out the number to get to Yoshimoto's secretary.

"This is Yokosuba Naval Base, Admiral Yoshimoto's office speaking." The quick and efficient reply returned to him immediately.

"This is _Commander of Miyake Naval Base_, Raki Tachibana speaking. I need to talk to Admiral Yoshimoto immediately." He spat out his supposed new title like it was poison. "It's an urgent matter."

"Understood. …" After a few moments' silence, the Admiral's voice came through.

"This is Yoshimoto."

"Admiral Yoshimoto, what is the meaning of this?" Raki struggled to keep his voice under control.

"Of what, Commander Tachibana?" You could almost hear his eyes rolling as he said this.

"I was just informed that I am now the commander of this Naval Base."

"That is correct."

"… For what purpose?"

"Pardon?"

"… … Why was I made the Commander?"

"Because you are competent enough and Admiral Watanabe has been requesting a replacement for some time."

"I was under the impression I was sent to this base as a part of a very thorough punishment."

"Well, if you want to think of it that way, that also works. As it stands, you cannot very well quit now, can you? You would be derelict of your duty, right?"

"Geh," was all Raki could let out. Hibiki, in the meantime, had set out a cup of steaming tea. The contents smelled wonderful, but the idea of drinking something hot with the climate like it was outside, made him slightly repulsed.

"I was sure that you had been informed of your new appointment. No? Well, just bear with it. It's an easy post, so even if you make a bunch of mistakes again, no one will be out to get you."

"… Thank you, sir." With that, Raki hung up. Slowly, he walked to the desk and sat down, head buried in his hands.

"Commander? Your tea is ready."

"I don't need it."

"… Yes, Commander." She left it sitting at the edge of the grand desk, but still stood there, as if waiting for him to give her an order.

"Now that I'm the Commander, Hibiki, do you mind telling me your actual rank?" Still half convinced that she had been playing a small joke on him then, he asked this with a voice full of spite.

"I am the Destroyer, Hibiki." This soft reply, again, was all he got. She had tilted her head curiously at him. "Are… you uninformed about this Miyake Naval Base's purpose?"

"All I know is that I get to nap all day and get paid for it."

"There is plenty to do at this base, Commander. Please make sure to look at the Admiral's records to get an idea of the everyday activities." Still, without the slightest bit of emotion, she, out of nowhere, produced a large file filled with various papers and notes.

The first thing he saw was a note that read "Each Ship Girl has a unique personality, so try to take care of their individual needs – Admiral Watanabe". Ship Girl? What? Is that a nickname or something? The next paper he took out was a full-fledged personnel listing, stating all the basic information necessary for him to know, such as Current Post at the Base, Name, Rank, Age, etc. While the first set were very normal, several ensigns, and lieutenants, mechanics and medical personnel. The first interesting thing for Raki was the sheer _number_ of shipyard mechanics at the base. This number far outstripped any other group. However, the category that truly caught his eye was the last. The words "_Ship Girls_" stood out to him.

Ship Girls

Secretary: Hibiki, Akatsuki-Class Destroyer, 1953

Destroyers:

Light Cruisters

Heavy Cruisters

Seaplane Tenders

Light Carriers

Standard Carriers

Battleships

Submarines

"…" Raki understood the words that were written on the page, certainly, but they would not get past his confused state. Was Ship Girls just some code name for regular naval vessels? If that were so, however, then several of the ships listed were definitely considered obsolete by modern standards. Battleships, back during World War II, were considered some of the top-level ships, but in current times, they were hardly used at all, superseded by Aircraft Carriers and Missile Cruisers. Then… nope, Raki still didn't have all the puzzle pieces together. It was like he was at the start, trying to fit the first two pieces together.

"Hibiki?"

"Yes, commander?"

"What is a Ship Girl?"

Hibiki just stared blankly at him, as if confused. Not wanting another awkward silence, he moved on ahead.

"All right then… I can leave that question open for a little bit. It says that you are the secretary? What kind of job is it that you do?"

"I assist the Commander, you, with any and all office-related tasks. I follow whatever orders you may have for me." So basically, just a regular secretary? Then, Ship Girls was just another name for female workers in the Navy? It sounded pretty sexist if one put it that way. But then she continued.

"However, my main role is assisting you with the procurement and treatment of the various Ship Girls that are constructed and/or found."

"… That brings us back to the first question, then." Raki rubbed his eyes wearily. "_What_ is a Ship Girl?"

"You really were not informed about Ship Girls, Commander?"

"That's why I'm asking. I thought this was a normal, if lazy, base." Ignoring this somewhat rude comment, Hibiki looked seriously at Raki before stating an explanation.

"We Ship Girls are the souls of ships that fought long ago. A time ago, some researchers discovered a very dangerous foe that cannot be defeated through conventional means. At the same time, perhaps because of this enemy, they discovered us, the Ship Girls. We are the only beings that have the weapons to defeat the enemy. Your job, Commander, is to give us orders to defeat these enemies." All throughout the explanation, there was no change to her expression. She was as expressionless as a robot.

"Okay… so, then… this is another joke, right? I can't believe how much time you people put into this. If only you put more time into real work-"

"I am not joking in the slightest, Commander." This time, however, he felt a faint hint of flatness to her voice. "If you wish, why don't we go out on an operation? So you can fully understand our duty."

"… I don't know where you are going with this, but I might as well play along for now." Raki sighed, but with that admission, Hibiki finally gave a slight, small smile.

"Very well, Commander. Let us be off."

As he was just following her, he felt a little bit like a dog, as she went along to several destinations, getting some small boxes and other crates, talking to several different workers, people that seemed genuinely respectful of Raki, a first in a while. Of course, this did nothing to convince him that they were not simply just participants in whatever joke Hibiki and the Admiral had concocted.

There was a full-sized dock out on the waters, which was their final destination. Hibiki took out a small box. Inside were what were undoubtedly small versions of the rounds the main guns of a ship would use. Another item she took out was a small green can. The liquid was much darker than cola, and he could not help but think it was akin to the fuel and oil he had seen so much of. Except for the fact that…

Hibiki took a bite of the rounds. When she did so, it was almost as if they disappeared rather than were eaten. She simply drank the can of blackish fluid and set the remains down. "Well, Commander, Let's be off."

She held his hand, and simply stepped off the concrete, into the water. … So this was the end of the joke? With him getting thrown into the water, huh? Raki just closed his eyes, waiting for the inevitable cold to envelop him. "Commander? Why are your eyes closed?"

It didn't come. Instead, he felt as if he had stepped into a puddle. Opening his eyes, he found Hibiki staring curiously at him. Her hand was still clasped around his. He was surprised to find he enjoyed how soft and warm it was. But that was beside the point! He looked down. Underneath him was no glass, no nothing. He was standing on water. "What… is this?"

"This is an operation, Commander." That simple, bewildering, yet somehow obvious statement struck him dumb, yet again. Then they were off. He did not understand the speed they were going, nor did he understand how he was able to stand going that fast. There were just too many unknowns. Suddenly, Right beside him, Hibiki said,

"Enemy spotted. Well then, shall we do it?" _Do what?_ Was all that Raki thought, but he was still in control of his mind enough to catch the "Enemy spotted" part and be alarmed. He saw nothing that he would consider an enemy, yet, Hibiki had stopped, and was staring straight ahead. Adjusted his line of sight, he finally saw it, what appeared to be a tiny fin. That was the enemy? A small fish? Were they fishing?

He had no more time to think about this before a massive wave suddenly reared its head above him. Hibiki moved in front of him. "It's coming."

What he ha thought to be a small fin was, in reality, what appeared to be a black shark, but not a shark he had ever seen. Such a monster would have fit right in with a horror or sci-fi movie, and he was not sure which type of story his own life was currently undertaking.

"Destroyer Hibiki, ready." Out of seemingly nowhere, guns seemed to sprout around Hibiki. No, not guns, cannons. They swiveled around just like real guns on a ship, and Raki was willing to bet that they fired just like them as well. Hibiki took off. While they had been fast in arrival, her current speed was even greater. Zipping around, she waited until she was slightly off to the side of the enemy before firing. The deep boom reverberated around them, and small waves made circles in the ocean from the force. Though it was a hit, such an attack was not able to destroy the enemy in a single attack. The monster gave off a high-pitched noise and began its own attack. With Hibiki and it circling around each other, the flashes and sounds of cannons blazing, Raki could not keep track of what was going on, exactly. It was just too surreal. Even thought there were a few times that small cannon shells hit close by him, he was unable to move a muscle.

However, there were only two combatants, and soon enough, it came to an end. Hibiki made a sweeping motion with her hand, and from the mounts around her waist, a group of cylinder-shaped items dropped into the water. With no delay, they zipped towards the enemy and detonated. They were, undoubtedly, what were now obsolete torpedoes. While they had appeared small, the explosions they generated were anything but. With the threat gone, Hibiki came rushing back towards Raki, who still had moved not an inch.

"Operation complete, Commander. One Destroyer I-Class has been eliminated. Shall we go back to base?"

"…"

"Commander?" Hibiki stood there, waiting for Raki's order. Yet, he still couldn't move. There was simply too much he did not know, did not understand. If this were a normal case, such circumstances would have excited him, but this was not simply troubling, this was something that belonged to a fantasy world, not his real world that he valued so much. Such things, he could not understand them.

"Commander." A soft hand clasped his. Looking down, he was surprised to find Hibiki standing very close to him. A clear look of worry on her face, she simply stood there, looking up at him.

"Ah… you're right. Let's go back to base." Raki could only say this. At least, his mind was still working enough to understand that this was not the place to be talking. The trip back seemed like it took a lifetime, or mere seconds. Raki was not sure. It was the feeling of an old man describing his life. So long, yet so short.

When they arrived back, there were several support personnel waiting. They handed Hibiki some more of the cans and blocks that she had taken before the operation, before checking for any wounds. As Hibiki had sustained no damage during the fight, they were quickly back on their way towards the Main Office.

"Commander? Are you hungry?"

"Huh?"

"It is nearly dinner time. Shall I make something?"

The mention of something so ordinary almost brought tears to his eyes. After enduring so much confusion, embarrassment, and exhaustion, it was all he could do to just nod,

"Yeah. That sounds good."


	3. Chapter Two - Ship Girls

Chapter Two – Ship Girls

Except the dinner was anything but normal. Sitting in a bowl, steaming, was a red soup he was unfamiliar with. Alongside it was crusty bread as well as a green salad with an unidentifiable dressing. Seeing such a meal surprised him, as the set meals in the Japanese military were definitely Japanese-style oriented. Certainly, there were hamburgers and other such western-inspired foods, but he did not even know what the red soup contained, or its name.

Of course, it would be extremely rude to refuse a dish after it was already served, and so he decided the best course of action was just to dive in. if it was not to his liking, then he would eat it anyway. After all, he needed to be on this girl's good side. He had no clue about anything, and she was the best source of information. Taking a deep breath, he dove it.

He was pleasantly surprised to find that he enjoyed the taste of the uniquely flavored soup. It was somewhat sweet-tasting, something that he would never have thought he'd enjoy, but it just gave a warm feeling of homeliness. The crusty bread was definitely home-baked as well, and he had no clue who made it, or when it had been made, as it appeared to be fresh from the oven. A thick lathering of butter covered the surface, and the combination of the soup and bread was heavenly. He almost felt like a small child, leaving the salad for last.

"Do you like the borscht, Commander?" Hibiki tilted her head. Though they had known each other for only a short amount of time, that tilting of the head was the largest amount of emotion he had gotten out of her.

"Er, yeah, I've never had it before, but it's very good. Thank you." To Raki's surprise, Hibiki gave the tiniest smile at his words, and said, as if in relief,

"I'm glad you enjoyed it, Commander."

Despite the warm atmosphere, Raki could feel an awkward silence growing. With such an unemotional companion, it was more than a little of a surprise to be suddenly faced with emotion, he supposed, especially as he was still completely unfamiliar with who or what she really was. … Well, he might as well learn about her while they were together like this.

"So… Hibiki, how did you, er, become like you are?"

"Pardon, Commander?" Tilt.

"I mean, were you always able to do… all of that?" Raki could not put into words his exact question. There were simply too many, and there was too much he did not know. For all he knew, she was an alien, was a god, or was an input-other-supernatural-being. That being said, she was a living, breathing person. She was not his enemy. His quick mind, as broken as it was from all the confusion, was able to put these two very important pieces of information at the front. Along with these, he felt he had understood a few other things.

"Yes, I have always been like this." A short answer. If Raki was going to get information, he would probably have to draw it out of her. It was clear that she was not being obstinate or anything of the sort. She simply was answering in a manner that suited her best.

"Er, I know this is rude, but how old are you?"

"I do not know, Commander." She considered her next words carefully. "My soul has… existed for a very long time. But this body is very new. My old body –"

"Was… that, right?" Raki looked her hard in the eyes. Somehow he couldn't bring himself to say that word. Even if he had admitted that she was out of the ordinary, that their entire situation was nothing like he had ever experienced, to admit that the stoic yet still soft girl before him was anything but human rankled him. Yet, he had to clarify his meaning. "… A real one."

"… Yes, Commander," she simply nodded. "I retain … shadows, something like memories, of that time. I do not really understand much of it myself."

"I see…" Lacing his fingers together, he looked at her, sinking back into thought. He would probably need ot get some sort of high-end clearance to get concrete information, as it seemed Hibiki herself was not fully aware of the circumstances. Of course, that made sense, as the policy in the military was "if you do not need to know, then you do not know." Yet, this was something that was of utmost importance. … Security was like a bell curve. You did not know if it was completely unimportant. If it was important, but not dire, then you do probably know (such as rules, and basic dispatches, training, etc.) But things of the highest level, only those directly involved knew what was going on. Even then, they probably did not know everything, just like Raki. Raki felt he had understood just a tiny fraction of the situation. However, a tiny fraction was better than no fraction, he hoped. He went on to his next question. "Before, you mentioned you assisted with the _procurement _and _construction_ of Ship Girls."

"Yes." Nod.

"Are you implying…" Yes, she was. He knew that, but he wanted to hear her say it herself.

"Yes, I was constructed, Commander. I woke up here, at the base. My body already looked like this."

"I… see." Well, he did not understand, but how she was made was not his concern, he supposed. What _was_, however, was, "What was that thing you fought? They are real enemies, right?"

"Yes. The Abyssal fleet. They are a great danger to anything in the ocean," taking a bite of salad before continuing, she went on after swallowing. "I'm sure you are aware of this already, but there have been many cases in the past year of ships disappearing. That is the work of the enemy. They seem to prey on anything manmade in the water."

"What do we know about them?"

"They are the enemy." Hibiki looked into his eyes. "They fight in a way very similar to us, the Ship Girls, and some of them have features similar to us. I personally believe we are related in some way."

"I see…" Realizing that was basically all he had said, he tried to go on. "So, how do we construct more Ship Girls? Since I don't know anything, how about we do that next?"

"Understood, Commander. I will make the proper arrangements." She got up, her dinner still only half-finished.

"Wait, Hibiki. You can do it after dinner." He realized he had grabbed her arm as she was about to get up. Once again, he was reminded that she was real. She felt just like a regular girl was supposed to. Which meant… "Hibiki."

"Yes, Commander?"

"What happens if you get hit?"

"It depends, Commander. If I get hit with a large round, I probably will take extensive damage. If it's light, it is nothing to worry about."

"Ex-extensive damage?" It sounded like a round-about way of "mortally wounded", which made Raki more than slightly uncomfortable.

"No matter what it is, however, I can always get repaired at the docks."

"I see…" not that he really did, of course, but even as curious as he was, his mind probably wouldn't be able to take all of this impossible to understand data in.

"Do not worry, Commander, such a matter requires only the resources necessary and will not add to the budget costs very much." As always, Hibiki was calm. Too calm. Raki remembered suddenly the note that Admiral Watanabe had left him. "_Each Ship Girl has a unique personality_" he had written. Were there girls that would react in a much different manner than her?

"I was not asking because of the budget. I just… it would not make me happy to see you get injured." Raki threw something lame-sounding back at her. Hibiki just tilted her head, as always, and responded.

"You need not worry about me, Commander," she just nodded slightly. Realizing that he had been holding her arm for such an extended period of time, Raki let go, face heating up.

The rest of dinner was eaten in relative silence. However, it was not as awkward as Raki had thought it would be. Perhaps this was simply how Hibiki was supposed to be. Afterwards, Hibiki got up and put the dishes on a cart. Some kitchen workers would come and take care of everything, she explained, which would allow them to leave for the construction docks.

The process of construction was far more normal than he had expected. Paperwork, followed by a quick delivery to the construction chief. All that was left, then, was to wait. Hibiki suggested using the minimum amount of resources at the start, as using large amounts of resources sometimes did not succeed. Various incidents could occur, she explained, that could cause one to get a different ship than they had intended. Certain ships were also much harder to construct. Perhaps they were particularly strong souls, or they were just elusive, but it was not uncommon to be looking for a ship and get one completely different. Rather than uncommon, it seemed it was the norm. As Hibiki was the only Ship Girl at the base, Raki had been hesitant asking about such matters. After all, perhaps they had simply been lost, or sunk. However, as if reading his mind, Hibiki further noted that most of the Ship Girls had been transferred to different bases when Admiral Watanabe first requested to be transferred.

While this helped to fill a few of the questions that had been occupying his mind, there were still so many things he had yet to understand, things that he could only get through experience. He found himself waiting eagerly to meet the one that would become his second Ship Girl.

"Oh, Admiral. The construction will take approximately a week."

"What?" Deflate.


End file.
